LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES

2024 GUIDED WALKS

A new programme of 17 guided walks for 2024 is now offered. This begins on Sunday 10th March with a walk looking at the places associated with Irish immigrants who came to work in the town.

2024 Walks Programme

WEB APP OPENS DOORS TO HUDDERSFIELD’S HERITAGE

A Web App produced by the Discover Huddersfield Partnership has been launched to coincide with this year’s Heritage Open Days in Kirklees which run until the 19th September. The Huddersfield On Foot Guide reveals the heritage of the town for those with smartphones and those who want to discover the history of the town on their computer from the comfort of home.

The app is based on the printed Discover Huddersfield Trails with 12 trails available to follow, covering themes such as Historic Buildings and Transport, cultural heritage including the Caribbean and Music Trails and local centres such as Birkby and Lindley.

Huddersfield On Foot works by using your phone’s GPS to see where you are, a map to follow points of interest and information about local landmarks. Access to the trails is free and available to all.

Vernon O’Reilly, Chair of Discover Huddersfield said: “Huddersfield On Foot makes it even easier to discover our town, its extraordinary architecture, heritage and culture. It provides an ideal way to enjoy an informative stroll, with the flexibility to follow more than one trail as you move from location to location, or to explore online.”

With 17 printed trails, available from local information points and selected retailers and cafes, a programme of guided walks through the year and a number of virtual trails produced with the support of Kirklees Libraries (available by searching YouTube for Kirklees Libraries), the partnership hopes the app will attract people from further afield who have an interest or are visiting the town. It also complements a raft of activities being undertaken within the Huddersfield High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme, funded by Historic England. The app can be opened by going to https://huddersfield.onfoot.guide/.


2021 Guided Walks

Having had to cancel all of our 2020 guided walks programme because of Covid restrictions we are now very pleased to be able to offer a new programme of guided walks for the remainder of 2021 starting in mid. July (see Walks page for full details).

In addition Kirklees Libraries and Discover Huddersfield are pleased to announce a new virtual trail in which local historian David Griffiths will explore the story of the Ramsden family’s impact on Huddersfield from when they purchased the manor from Queen Elizabeth I in 1599 until they sold out to Huddersfield corporation in 1920.

This will be broadcast at 13.00 on Thursday 15th July and can be accessed on either https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf6Ac8df5LU at that time or if preferred at a later date on YouTube where all our earlier virtual trails remain available to view. These are:

  • Birkby Trail
  • Caribbean Heritage Trail.
  • Made in Huddersfield Textile Trail
  • Surprising Lockwood

To listen to the trails go to YouTube – Kirklees Libraries – Local Heritage Walks and Talks. Each trail will also be available as a stand-alone virtual walk on Google Earth. This can be accessed via a link provided underneath the YouTube video.

The virtual trails are intended to meet 3 objectives:

  • to explore local heritage, encourage local history research and promote local heritage organisations
  • to reach out to individuals unable to attend a physical walk whether due to health limitations or geographical distance
  • to encourage healthy exercise by enticing people to take the walk themselves following the broadcasts

In addition, one of the programme’s great advantages is the ability to see the hidden aspects of local heritage thanks to aerial 3D views enabled by Google Earth.

27/10/2019 – The Changing Face of Birkby: From Green Hamlet to Global Suburb

Join Lorna and Frank to explore the history of famous firms such as Hopkinsons engineering and Ben Shaws drinks as well as co-ops, a cinema, grand houses, churches and mosques, transport links, gardens, breweries and a workhouse. You will also discover older heritage sites: the medieval motte and bailey fortification on Beacon Street and the timber-framed Bay Hall; all showcasing Birkby’s development from a green suburb to the densely populated multicultural community we know today.

Meet at 2.30 pm outside St. John’s Church, St. John’s Road, Birkby, HD1 5EA.

The walk costs £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

13/10/2019 – Huddersfield Walk with a Caribbean Flavour

A guided walk organised by the Discover Huddersfield partnership will highlight the people, places and achievements associated with the town’s Caribbean community.

Starting from St George’s Square at 2.30pm on Sunday 13 October, Heather Norris-Nicholson and Natalie Pinnock Hamilton, will explore the sites, sounds and stories associated with the history of Huddersfield’s African-Caribbean descent community.

And, adding to the flavour of the afternoon, the walk will finish with refreshments served at the Antilles Credit Union (Trinity Street) in order to find out more about how personal, local, national and international histories combine to create Huddersfield’s own Empire Windrush story and their continuing contribution to the wider community.

The walk is expected to last between 1.5 and 2.00 hours and will cover an area from St George’s Square to Springwood and Greenhead Park, to highlight places renowned for Caribbean music, food, community events and places of worship.

The walk costs £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

A Caribbean Heritage Trail is one of 15 free printed trails produced by the Discover Partnership to complement its annual walks’ programme. Further information can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

Surprising Lockwood

Please note that this free walk on Saturday 21st September is now fully booked.

Kirklees Heritage Open Days 13th to 22nd September

All events and walks are free (but some must be pre-booked.)

Click here to see the programme.

22/08/2019 – Magnifying Glasses at the Ready for Building Stones Walk

Although Huddersfield may be best known for its buildings constructed of local sandstone, from the mid C19th a great variety of rocks were used to embellish and decorate buildings around the town.

To discover the variety of stones, marvel at their exotic origins and geological history join Huddersfield Geology Group member Ailsa Burrows for a guided walk on the evening of Thursday 22 August, starting from St. George’s Square (Harold Wilson Statue) at 7.00pm.

Ailsa will reveal the many and varied rocks on some of the town’s most distinguished buildings. Those attending will be able to study the variety of rocks and the way they have been used to create many decorative features. People are invited to bring their own magnifying glasses, although some will be provided.

Organised by the Discover Huddersfield partnership, the walk and will last between 1.5 and 2.0 hours.

The walk costs £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

Information about the annual programme of walks organised by Discover Huddersfield and a series of 16 free printed trails exploring the history, culture and architecture of the town can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

11/08/2019 – Huddersfield’s Classical Architecture – What Did the Romans (and Greeks) Do For Us?

In 1963 John Betjeman said of Huddersfield, ‘A sort of Athens on the steep slopes of the River Colne.’ Had he had a drink too many or was there something about the town’s architecture that led to this remark?

To discover more, join David Wyles, author of ‘The Buildings of Huddersfield’ and find out why Betjeman’s allusion to Athens and the Classical world is echoed in some of the town’s most outstanding buildings.

The guided walk, which starts from the central library steps at 2.30pm on Sunday 11 August will expose the highlights of Huddersfield’s Classical architecture, from the influences of ancient Greece and Rome, to those buildings of the Italian Renaissance which themselves paid tribute to the ancient world.

The walk will last approximately 1.5 hours and cost £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

Further information about the programme of walks organised by Discover Huddersfield and a series of free trails, can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

Kirklees Heritage Open Days 2019

Record Number of Events Celebrate Kirklees’ Diverse Heritage 

Over two dozen new locations will be opening their doors across Kirklees as part of the national Heritage Open Days festival, which this year will run for ten consecutive days, from 13 – 22 September.

In total a record 68 sites and events will celebrate the area’s heritage and culture, offering an insight into places not always open to the public. Last year almost 5,000 people enjoyed the chance to explore a range of historic places and participate in a variety of events. This year’s programme is more widely spread across Kirklees, with ten new events in Dewsbury and Mirfield alone, alongside well-established favourites in Huddersfield and the Valleys.

All venues and events are free, although, because of limited capacity, a small number have to be booked.

Amongst some of this year’s new entries are visits to Dewsbury’s oldest shop, trading since 1860 and now an intimate museum; a converted C19 piggery with Bronte connections in Mirfield; the remote Shred Mission Chapel above Slaithwaite; a walk to discover Lockwood and the history of its Spa; and a chance to explore and understand Huddersfield’s Buddhist centre in Birkby.

Other highlights are linked to this year’s national theme ‘People Power’, celebrating individuals and communities who have worked together to bring about change. These include a talk by Georgina Hutchison, author of ‘Under the Canopy of Heaven’, a novel about Luddite George Mellor; a tour of Greenhead Park led by Thomas Denham, who set out his vision for it in 1869; and a talk at Huddersfield’s Hall of Science (now Ramsay Clay) built by followers of early socialist, Robert Owen.

Click here for more information.

25/07/2019 – Revealing the Highlights of Hidden Highfields

An evening guided walk to discover the hidden highlights of Highfields will reveal the history and many impressive buildings of an area that is often overlooked and rarely visited.

Led by local historian David Griffiths, author of the much praised, ‘Villas of Edgerton’, the walk will begin at 7.00pm on Thursday 25 July from Cambridge Road Car Park (free after 6.00pm) and will last approximately 1.5 hours.

Highfield’s quiet streets and lanes reveal houses of many styles, from the early 18th century onwards, and traces of many religious faiths and migrant communities that have left their mark on the town, as well as Georgian and Victorian public buildings. David will explore this rich brew and explain how it was developed.

Further information about the programme of walks organised by Discover Huddersfield and a series of free trails, can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

The walks costs £3 per person but no booking is required.

18/07/2019 – Sculptures, Statues and Mosaics Revealed on Town Centre Walk

An evening guided walk around the centre of Huddersfield will highlight the often overlooked wealth of sculptural and other public art in the town.

Led by Chris Marsden, former chairman of Huddersfield Civic Society and author of the recently published, ‘Huddersfield in 50 Buildings’, the walk will begin at 7.00pm on Thursday 18 July from the Harold Wilson statue in St. George’s Square and last approximately 1.5 hours.

The walk features a number of features of national importance, including the world’s largest ceramic panels at Queensgate Market and the stone figures outside the library as well as superbly carved figures such as on the Kirkgate Buildings, Lloyds TSB and Britannia Buildings.

Chris will reveal the background and artists responsible for the works as well as the stories behind various mosaics including ‘Systematic Sequence in Line and Shade’ and ‘Development of the Woollen Industry’.

Further information about the programme of walks organised by Discover Huddersfield and a series of free trails, can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

The walks costs £3 per person but no booking is required.

07/07/2019 – Lindley’s Past Revealed on Afternoon Walk

One of the Discover Huddersfield partnership’s most popular guided walks over the past few years will again take place on Sunday 7 July. Local resident, David Verguson, will lead a walk through Lindley’s history, revealing the variety of historical features within one of Huddersfield’s most bustling urban communities.

The walk will uncover the story of the community’s development and the people and stories behind its growth. Following some lesser known footpaths, passing pubs, mills, chapels and grand houses, David will unveil the lives of mill owners and millworkers, Methodists and their memorials, a tinsmith and a sculptor.

The walk, which starts from Lindley Methodist Church on East Street, Lindley, at 2.30pm, will last between 1.5 and 2.0 hours.

The walk costs £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

Further information about the Discover Huddersfield programme of walks and a series of printed trails, can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

20/06/2019 – Guided Walk of Huddersfield’s Significant Buildings

What do Huddersfield’s town centre buildings tell us about its history?

Chris Marsden, architectural historian and author of ‘Huddersfield in 50 Buildings’ will lead a guided walk on Thursday 20 June at 7.00pm.

Based on his recently published book, ‘Huddersfield in 50 Buildings’, author and architectural historian, Chris Marsden, will provide an authoritative insight into a wide variety of structures and offer an insight to how they form a critical record of the town’s development.

The walk, organised by the Discover Huddersfield partnership, starts at St. George’s Square (Harold Wilson statue), will last between 1.5 and 2 hours and costs £3 per person. No booking is required.

Further information about the programme of walks organised by Discover Huddersfield and a series of free trails, can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

09/06/2019 – Walk Explores Town’s Historic Transport Systems

From the Grade 1 listed Railway Station and its Trans-Pennine rail route to the remarkable engineering of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, Huddersfield’s transport systems have received attention from enthusiasts across the UK and abroad.

To discover some of these special features a Discover Huddersfield guided walk will start from St. George’s Square (Harold Wilson statue) at 2.30pm on Sunday 9 June.

Led by transport enthusiasts, Bob Barrett, Philip Jenkinson, Eric Woulds and Trevor Ellis, the walk will show how Victorian engineers conquered the heights of Springwood and reveal where the last examples of the iconic red and cream six-wheel Huddersfield Corporation trolleybus ended their many years of service in 1968.

The walk will continue through Springwood before descending to Longroyd Bridge eventually leading back along the towpath of one of the UK’s most fascinating and historically important canals.

The walk, which includes a number of steps and unsurfaced paths, will last between 1.5 and 2.0 hours and costs £3.00 per person. No booking is required.

Further information about the programme of walks organised by Discover Huddersfield and a series of free trails, can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

23/05/2019 – Greenhead Park Walk Uncovers its Victorian Past

A guided walk organised by the Discover Huddersfield partnership will take people back to the time when the park gates were formally opened to the public in 1884.

The walk on the evening Thursday 23 May, starts at 7.00pm from the main gates of the park on the Trinity Street/Park Avenue corner.

Led by local historian, David Griffiths, who wrote ‘Secured For The Town’, the story of the park, the walk will uncover how proposals for the park developed and its opening with great pomp and ceremony on 27 September 1884.

David will explain how it came to be established and explore its original design as well as looking at how it has evolved and developed since then. The walk will not only reveal the background to some of the more familiar features but uncover others that can be easily missed.

The walk costs £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

Further information about the programme of walks organised by Discover Huddersfield and a series of free trails can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

12/05/2019 – Guided Walk Discovers Huddersfield’s Wealth of Music

Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols and Sir Walter Parratt, Master of the Queen’s Music, may not appear to have a lot in common but a guided walk on Sunday 12th May will reveal how they both have contributed to Huddersfield’s musical wealth.

The ‘Punks, Parratt and St. Peter’s’ walk will explore the rich multicultural associations that have contributed to Huddersfield’s fame as a world renowned centre of music. Links to key figures from the world of music will also include international giants of contemporary music, including Cage, Stockhausen and Boulez.

The walk will be led by Rachel Cowgill, from the University of Huddersfield, who will weave together the various strands including Victorian organ music, music hall, reggae and punk to reveal the layers of this rich heritage.

The walk, which starts at 2.30pm from the entrance of the University’s new Oastler Building, by Shorehead roundabout, will last between 1.5 and 2.0 hours.

The walk costs £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

Further information about Discover Huddersfield, the programme of walks and the series of free printed trails can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

25/07/2017 – Music Trail

Huddersfield’s remarkable wealth of musical traditions will be revealed on a guided walk organised by the Discover Huddersfield partnership. The ‘Punks, Parratt and St. Peter’s’ walk will take a journey through the town’s musical associations from brass bands, choral societies and organ building to music halls, reggae clubs and Bhangra. Links to key figures from the world of music will include Sir Walter Parratt, Master of the Queen’s Music, the Sex Pistols whose last UK performance was held in town and international giants of contemporary music, including Cage, Stockhausen and Boulez. The walk will be led by Paul Ward, the University of Huddersfield’s Professor of Modern British History and Head of the Department of History, English, Languages and Media who, with colleagues from the
School of Music and student researchers, created the trail which is also available in printed form. The walk, which takes place on Thursday 27 July at 7.00pm, will last between 1.5 and 2.0 hours starting from the main entrance of the University’s Oastler Building ( the campus’ most recently completed landmark structure) on the ring road. The walk costs £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

09/07/2017 – Family Heritage Walk

Dragons, imps, lions, planes, tombs, reflections, shields, mosaics and strange doors are out there… a town centre walk for children with their parents, grandparents and carers to find a town of delights! This gentle walk has been devised by Discover Huddersfield to enable families to explore together. The afternoon ramble on Sunday 9 July, starting from St George’s Square (Harold Wilson Statue) at 2.30pm, will explore the nooks and crannies of Huddersfield town centre, finding hidden gems along the way. Most suitable for participating children aged 4 and above, the walk is pushchair and wheelchair friendly – no steps involved. Guides Chris Marsden of Huddersfield Civic Society and Annette Heaton will take us on the pavement adventure.

10/05/2017 – Exploring Huddersfield’s Caribbean Heritage

Walk Explores Town’s Caribbean Heritage

Key locations associated with the pioneering decades and cultural contribution of Huddersfield’s Caribbean community will be explored on a walk organised by the Discover Huddersfield partnership.
Starting from Cloth Hall Street at 2.30pm on Sunday 14 May, Heather Norris-Nicholson, Natalie Pinnock Hamilton and Denzil Nurse, will reveal places associated with the community and share memories and stories of migration histories, community focal points and cultural achievements.
The history of the community stretches back almost seventy years when labour shortages within key public services and industries, prompted economic migration that is often but not only linked with the SS Empire Windrush (1948). The Jamaican government discouraged people from leaving, but UK agencies promoted employment opportunities. The invited newcomers came principally from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Grenada, Carriacou and St Lucia between 1948 and the late 1960s.
The walk is expected to last between 1.5 and 2.00 hours and will cover an area from Cloth Hall Street to Springwood and Greenhead Park, at the heart of the early community, and through the town centre to highlight places renowned for Caribbean music, food, community events and places of worship.
The walk costs £3.00 per person but no booking is required.

Further information about the programme of walks organised by Discover Huddersfield can be found at local information points and libraries or by visiting www.discoverhuddersfield.com.

09/04/2017 – Walking with Women’s Suffrage!

The campaign to win Votes for Women was fought nowhere harder than in Edwardian Britain. The international suffrage movement looked across the English Channel aghast at what it saw. Britain, the world’s first industrial nation, had become ‘the storm-centre of the women’s rebellion’. Here ‘delicate women…allowed themselves to be thrown into prison, went on hunger-strike to the verge of death. They suffered for their principles as no other women in any other country have done’.

It was not until 1918 that women won the right to vote ~ and then only women over the age of 30. This Representation of the People Bill became law of the land on 6th February 1918 (and it still took a further ten years before all women over 21 won the vote i.e. equal rights with men).

The centenary of this victory will be celebrated next year, starting on 6th February 2018. Plans to celebrate Vote 100 are already taking shape. In its recent spring Budget, the Government announced a £5m (five million) fund to mark the centenary. And the Prime Minister has just announced that Dame Millicent Fawcett, leader of the suffragists, will be honoured with a statue in Parliament Square. Standing alongside Nelson Mandela and Sir Winston Churchill, hers will be the very first statue of a woman in Parliament Square. And in Manchester, a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the suffragettes, will also be erected.

Other towns and cities are laying their own plans too, coordinated by local libraries and museums, archives and theatre groups. To find out more about Vote 100 plans, go to www.parliament.uk/vote100

So what will Kirklees do? Huddersfield has a very distinguished Votes for Women history. The town housed a couple of veritable ‘nests of suffragettes’, while Colne Valley was home to talented artist and suffragist Florence Lockwood.

If you’d like to find out more of local suffrage history, please come along today.

27/02/2017 – 2017 is finally here!

Huddersfield’s musical heritage from punk to the parish church organ, lost theatres and cinemas, and the town’s building stones will all feature in the 2017 programme of walks, organised by the Discover Huddersfield partnership
This year’s programme of 16 walks is now available from local information points including libraries, the railway station and various town centre outlets. The programme includes a wide variety of themes designed to attract those who have an interest in the history and heritage of the town.
Other new topics include a walk through Lindley’s story, looking at chapels and grand houses, meeting mill owners and mill workers, a stroll around the rich Georgian and Victorian heritage of Springwood and a themed walked designed especially for families.
These walks supplement a number of popular themes organised in previous years, including walks based on the town’s rail, canal and transport history, women’s suffrage, architecture, Caribbean heritage and, to end the season, the Halloween themed ‘Shuddersfield’ walk.
The first walk of the season, at 2.30pm on Sunday 12 March from St. George’s Square (Harold Wilson statue), will explore the history and places associated with the Irish community in Huddersfield, tracing the background to the many Irish immigrants who came to work on the canals, in textiles, construction and more recently, to study at the University. After the walk a free viewing of a short film ‘The Connemara Connection’ will be shown at the Irish Centre.
The walks, organised for Sunday afternoons and, in summer, Thursday evenings, cover a period from March to late October and cost £3 per person (free for children). No booking is required. Walks generally last approximately 1.5 hours. In addition Discover Huddersfield is again organising a couple of free walks as part of its contribution to the national Heritage Open Days celebrations in September, which offer free access to places that are usually closed to the public as well as a vibrant programme of activities. Download your copy now:
HERE

10/10/2016 – New Trails for Discover Huddersfield

A Music Walk and a Caribbean Heritage Walk have been produced by the Discover Huddersfield Partnership, adding to the nine trails already available.

The trails are available free of charge from local information points, including libraries and the railway station.
The Music Trail, has been created by students and staff at the University of Huddersfield, as part of its ‘students as researchers’ strategy. Albert Preston and Ciaran Lourdes-Binsley in History, and Sarah Wells in Textile Practice, worked with professors Rachel Cowgill (Music) and Paul Ward (History) to research and create the trail with the majority of photos taken by Sarah Laurel.

The trail reveals the rich and varied nature of the town’s celebrated musical traditions covering the buildings, the people and the cultural influences that have cemented Huddersfield reputation as a town of musical excellence.
The Caribbean Heritage Trail, prepared by Heather Norris Nicholson, Natalie Pinnock-Hamilton and Denzil Nurse, reveals locations associated with the pioneering decades and cultural contribution of Huddersfield’s Caribbean community. Prompted by labour shortages in the UK after the war, the economic migration brought newcomers, principally from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Grenada, Carriacou and St Lucia, between 1948 and the late 1960s. By then there was a new British born generation and Huddersfield’s Caribbean community was becoming a small but increasingly visible part of local life.

These walks are part of a series produced by the Discover Huddersfield Partnership which cover a number of themes including Huddersfield’s heritage, social history and transport. Further information can be obtained by visiting: www.discoverhuddersfield.com or by contacting Discover Huddersfield at info@discoverhuddersfield.com or via Facebook or Twitter.

29/09/2016 – Final Walks of the Season

So the time is upon us to start wrapping up our guided walks season – one of which has had many highlights. But don’t put those walking shoes away yet. Over the next few weeks we shall be conducting our final two walks: Caribbean Heritage of Huddersfield on the 9th October and the infamous Shuddersfield Halloween Walk on the 30th October (organised by Rebecca Legg).

As mentioned before, this season has been one with many highlights for the DH team. The Heritage Open Days ‘Lion Walk’ was received by over 120 people – our highest attendance to date. We are already planning things for our new schedule! So look out for our brochure and we look forward to seeing you all on our final couple of walks.

25/08/16 – Heritage Open Days, Huddersfield

The National Event –  Heritage Open Days, is coming to Huddersfield! We are working with Huddersfield Civic Society to bring it to life for our town. From the 8-11th September we have several events including 30 free events for everyone to enjoy.

Follow the link below for a full brochure, with all the information you could possibly need, and learn just what makes Huddersfield, Huddersfield.

2016 Brochure (PDF)

17/07/16 – Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival 

We are currently working with Huddersfield Partnership in the launch of the Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival, the largest festival of its kind in Yorkshire. Among all of the activities to get your taste-buds popping, this is one to look out for:

Real Ale & Cocktail Trail

  • Sample some of the delightful real ales & ciders from our wide variety of Microbrewers/Pubs or enjoy the backdrop of Huddersfield whilst sipping on exquisite cocktails
  • Featuring 18 venues of Real Ale Pubs and Breweries along with a fine selection of Cocktail Bars across Huddersfield
Real Ale Trail